57 new HIV cases reported daily; 30% are under 18 —DOH

The Philippines is in the grip of its largest HIV outbreak on record, with 57 new infections reported every day, nearly a third of them among people below 18 years old, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said during the Department of Health’s (DOH) 2026 budget hearing in the House of Representatives on Thursday.

“We have the largest outbreak of new cases of HIV. There's 57 cases of HIV a day. Thirty percent of those are actually below the age of 18, bata. So this is really a big problem if we are not able to stop this epidemic,” Herbosa said.

This was after Representative Perci Cendaña warned that without sufficient resources, the country will fail to contain what he described as a “youth epidemic.” 

He cited the government’s AIDS Medium Term Plan (AMTP), which estimates that P16 billion will be needed in 2026 alone—P7 billion for prevention, P3 billion for testing, and P5 billion for treatment through PhilHealth.

“Kapag binangga po natin ito sa isang dokumentong kabisado-kabisado namin ang mga advocates, yung AMTP o AIDS Medium Term Plan, kailangan po natin ng P16B for 2026… And where will we find itong P16B na kailangan dapat to respond to this crisis, to this youth epidemic na kinakaharap po natin ngayon?” he asked.

(If we compare this with the AIDS Medium Term Plan, which advocates know very well, we need P16 billion for 2026… Where will we find this P16 billion that should be used to respond to this crisis, this youth epidemic that we are facing now?)

Hidden funding in PhilHealth

Herbosa explained that while HIV programs do not appear as a line item in the National Expenditure Program (NEP), funding for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, viral load testing, and treatment hubs is embedded in PhilHealth benefit packages and hospital operating expenses.

“Ang budget po ng ARVs and testing, ARVs, anti-retrovirals, for people that are tested positive ay nasa PhilHealth… So hindi siya lumalabas at hindi niyo makahanap sa NEP kasi it is a benefit package of PhilHealth,” he said.

(The budget for ARVs and testing for people who test positive is under PhilHealth… so it does not appear in the NEP because it is part of PhilHealth’s benefit package.)

Still, Cendaña pressed the DOH to submit a clear accounting before the next round of budget hearings.

“Pag sinabi po natin ng Public Health, emergency at priority, the most concrete expression of an administration's priority ay yung kanya pong budget. At kapag walang pondo, hindi matutugunan at kapag hindi natugunan, patuloy pong lalala itong epidemyang ito sa ating bansa.”

(When we say something is a public health emergency and a priority, the most concrete expression of an administration’s priority is its budget. If there is no funding, the crisis cannot be addressed, and if it is not addressed, this epidemic will only worsen in our country.)

Foreign aid transition

The lawmaker also raised concerns over the impact of US aid suspensions on HIV programs. Herbosa clarified that while USAID was halted, assistance is continuing through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and new State Department grants amounting to over $500 million.

“We will be given back… 224 million dollars plus another 300 million dollars. So in fact, lumaki pa po. But… naantala yung mga programs. But I think we will be benefiting from all these millions of dollars that they are offering the country,” he said.

(We will be given back $224 million plus another $300 million. So in fact, the funds have even increased. But… the programs were delayed. But I think we will be benefiting from all these millions of dollars that they are offering the country.)

Last month, the DOH reported a 500% increase in HIV cases among young Filipinos, prompting the agency to call for the declaration of a national public health emergency.

As of June 2025, the Philippines had recorded 148,831 cumulative HIV cases.

In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 5,101 new HIV cases were confirmed—up from 3,409 cases during the same period in 2024, according to the DOH. — BM, GMA Integrated News